


Just A Number

by aconfederacyofscript



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 06:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3558896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aconfederacyofscript/pseuds/aconfederacyofscript
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Age Difference AU. (Both Jemma and Skye are 20+). Skye has fallen for her boss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just A Number

_Shit_. Skye has been thinking that word a lot over the last couple of weeks. Not only because it’s her swear word of choice when something goes south, but also because… well… she has a crush, and an unfortunate one at that.

It’s nothing new for her to fall for women far out of her league. She has watched plenty of series with women who were 1) gorgeous and 2) too badass for her, as she’d like to put it.

But this time was different for Skye. For some reason this felt different. Mainly because the woman she was fawning after was someone she saw nearly every week due to a lot of fortunate events, but also because she and the woman got along well.

But  _shit_  nonetheless. Skye takes a deep breath before readjusting the strap of her backpack and running her hands through her hair. Just another appointment, they couldn’t help it that their servers kept breaking down. Shitty servers but she could do this. Maybe Skye should do her job better, but she got paid, got coffee and had meetings with her crush. She wouldn’t mind spending a few extra days there.

She steps into the large hall of the corporate building then, squares her shoulders and takes a bee line to the elevator. She felt like the she was a teenager again, on her way to her first appointment ever by herself. But this time she was not thirteen anymore. She was twenty-one. She had a degree because she sucked at high-school, but was a true genius after. This also meant she was young to be out there in the field and she realised that every time she was sent to fix computers for large corporations around New York.

But here she was, riding the elevator up to the twentieth floor, clutching onto her bag and calming her nerves. All she brought was her iPhone, her boosted laptop, some tools, and two folders with files about the corporation she received per email a while back. That was enough, she had been able to hack into nearly everything the corporation had to offer from home, so she was now brought in to glue the leaks shut. She had to make them watertight so even she couldn’t get in. Well, she’d be in for a lot of work then.

This was definitely not the first, nor the last time, that Skye rode the elevator here, but still there were plenty of people looking at her with an air of ‘what the fuck is this young lady doing here’. She couldn’t hate them for it, because she didn’t know how she ended up here in the first place. But she got recruited after Coulson heard of her, and he honestly was  _the boss_  in this industry.

The elevator pings and Skye gets off with a few other people, who then never look at her again. She takes a left turn to the front office to sign in. Behind the reception is the familiar name on the wall in thick letters. Simmons Inc. Skye didn’t exactly know what they did here, but she knew it had a lot to do with science and medical engineering. Which was cool, Skye thought.

“Good morning. I have an appointment with Ms. Simmons?” Skye asks and leans her elbows on the edge of the reception desk.

The familiar face smiles up at her and he nods. “Of course, Skye. Let me see. Yes, she’ll be ready for you in five minutes. You know where her office is?”

“I most certainly do thanks.”

You would say it wasn’t a long way to the boss’ office. But it was. The first time she got here she had to be taken there by an assistant or she would definitely have gotten lost, which happened the second time. But by now she could find her way along the numerous labs, cubicles and offices to end up at the biggest office she had ever seen. It contained a small lab of itself, while Simmons had another lab for herself down the hall.

Skye checks her watch when she ends up at the door. One minute. After sixty seconds she knocks and there’s the shuffling of feet and the scraping of chairs.

“Hello, Skye. Come in,” Jemma Simmons says with a bright smile as she opens the door and Skye grins nervously.

“Hi, boss.”

Skye smirks, but Jemma just rolls her eyes amusedly and steps aside, revealing said office and another familiar face.

“Morning, Fitz,” Skye says, but Fitz just glares at her, nods and gets up.

“We will have to discuss that matter another time then, Simmons. Good day.”

He just leaves after that. Jemma sits down at her desk, and takes off her glasses and lab coat. Skye’s brains always error for a second when she sees Jemma for the first time. Her mouth goes dry, her legs feel like jelly and her heart stutters. And  _shit_ , it’s stupid, Skye keeps thinking, but she can’t help it.

There are like eight hundred reasons why Skye shouldn’t have a crush on this woman. One of course is her being a well known scientist. Secondly, she is brilliant. Third, she is beautiful. Also, and that was maybe something most people would stumble over, is the fact that Jemma Simmons is thirty-three years old and her boss. Twelve years older than Skye.

Sure, they are both adults and that’s exactly what Skye keeps telling herself, but there’s almost a whole life between them. Or at least, that’s what it feels like to Skye sometimes. Jemma has achieved so much while Skye has just landed her first big deal. Has just stuck her nose into the real world and is an adult still learning how to adult.

“So, Skye, I know I asked you to come in here to fix the security leaks, but I have had a temporary solution for that with help of our technology division. There is a more urgent matter now. Which is that my computer won’t start and there are hours of research on there and quite frankly, I would probably die if it won’t work anymore.”

“So you want me to see if I can salvage your computer before rescuing your company?” Skye laughs softly and Jemma nods.

“Yes, because my company is also on that computer.”

“Okay, don’t worry. Where is it?”

Jemma opens a drawer of her desk and lifts out a light laptop that Skye takes from her.

“Do you have any idea what might have caused the issue?”

“There are plenty of things. I mean there could be a virus on there, who knows, maybe someone like you hacked into our system and placed a bug, maybe someone is trying to steal Project YX information or something like that. I honestly don’t know, but I am more concerned with my research. Skye, please, I know you are very good at your job, but this is a life or death situation.”

“Don’t worry – I got this. Is there anywhere I can work? I’m usually somewhere in the server room, but that might not be the best place right now.”

“You can stay here, if you like. I don’t want anyone around my computer, aside from us, when you’re working on it, and there’s a congress going on downstairs so I’m afraid the building is quite loud today.”

“Please, I’ll stay here then. You have the best Wi-Fi connection here anyway,” Skye laughs and Jemma rolls her eyes at her with a soft smile.

“I wonder who made it that way.”

Skye just shrugs with a lopsided grin and takes out her equipment to start work. She soon manages to turn the computer on, that wasn’t the hardest part, the hardest part was figuring out what was wrong and why the thing was giving her error codes and generally bugging.

“Someone has been trying to infiltrate your network. And it wasn’t me – I managed to do it, but I used a secret entryway. I’m undetectable when I get in. This person isn’t doing such a good job, but he’s managed to do quite some damage.” Skye frowns after a while when Jemma is back from a meeting and puts two cups on her desk. Coffee for Skye, and – how British of her – tea for herself. “Thank you.”

“That sounds like bad news,” Jemma sighs when she sits down in her chair again, closing the textbook on something with chemistry that lies in front of her and putting it on the shelf behind her.

“It’s bad news. But I’m here now, I’m sure I can fix the problem. I might just take longer than anticipated.”

“I don’t mind you here, really, Skye. Actually, I really quite enjoy your company. It can get a bit lonely up here alone, you know,” Jemma answers and Skye looks up to see the last hint of a sad smile lingering on her lips.

“I know… I like it here, though,” Skye says while focussing back on the screen. Her fingers race over the keys again, totally emerged in the task at hand. She doesn’t realise that Jemma isn’t working or doing anything other than watching her work. Jemma watches the light frown that settles between Skye’s brows when she’s concentrating, the way she chews the insides of her cheeks sometimes and how she can reach for her cup of coffee without taking her eyes of the screen.

It’s another few hours later when Skye sits up straighter and cracks her neck, causing Jemma’s eyes to shoot up.

“Are you alright?” she asks the computer genius, who just nods in response.

“Yeah, I think I might need a break, though. A stretch of the legs, maybe,” she says and laughs and pets her stomach when it growls angrily at her. She hasn’t eaten since breakfast, she realises.

“Do you want to go for lunch with me?” Skye blurts out when she realises the same just as Jemma is about to take another sip of her tea and almost chokes on it.

“I’m sorry?” Her eyes grow wide.

“I eh… asked if you’d maybe like to go get lunch with me.” Skye suddenly stammers. Her cheeks colour an entire different shade of pink.  “This isn’t weird, right? I mean… I… It’s just lunch? I like your company and so I thought…”

“I’d like that, Skye,” Jemma smiles and gets up to slip on her coat.

“Really? Okay, great. Lunch, then.”

_____

“So where do you want to go?” Skye asks when they are walking out of the building and she adjusts her scarf slightly, her elbow bumping Jemma’s arm.

“There’s this place a block down from here. I don’t come there often, but they have really great food.”

“Alright, sounds good, then.”

Their conversation starts with a light discussion about work and what Jemma exactly does and why she needs Skye’s help so much. It’s mostly because her employees fuck things up all the time, Skye figures, but it shines through that Jemma might call her in for the little things her tech division could have fixed, just to have the girl around her office.

It confuses Skye to the max, actually. She doesn’t know if Jemma is just being nice to her, making sure she is getting a rep in the business. She has been there herself, after all. She was young when she founded her own company with Fitz and eventually made name for herself. It was a lot of hard work, but she started where Skye is now: the bottom. But she had had help as well, she admits. So that confuses Skye. Maybe Jemma wanted to give Skye an opportunity to make name for herself, or maybe she was just being nice, or she actually liked having Skye around. She said that, right?

“This is really good,” Skye says after taking another bite from what looks like a simple plate of pasta, but feels like heaven in her mouth.

“I told you they have a good cook.” Jemma winks and twists her fork into her spaghetti to roll a nice little bun.

“Can I ask you something, Jemma?” Skye asks and Jemma’s eyes meet hers. There’s a nervous, fearful hint in them that quickly subsides when she sees Skye’s mild expression.

“Go for it.”

“Do you just eh… take anyone for lunch here?” Skye asks and swallows hard, taking a sip of her water to get rid of the sudden dryness in her mouth. Her skin feels hot all of a sudden. She basically asked the question. This was the conversation Skye both wanted to have and wanted to avoid. She needed to know if maybe, in some weird alignment of the planets, she would have a chance with Jemma Simmons.

“No, Skye. I don’t, really.” She smiles softly. “I don’t go here for business lunches or with my friends.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” Skye asks breathlessly, totally forgetting about her pasta with her cutlery hanging on the edges of the bowl.

“Because… I… Pfh.” Jemma opens and closes her mouth, pinching the bridge of her nose. Skye reaches out over the table and rests her hand on Jemma’s.

“It’s okay.”

“I just hope I didn’t get this wrong, is all,” Jemma manages to squeeze out, “I just really fancy you and I shouldn’t? Because my god you’re such a puppy! But I do, and I feel very strange. And now I hope that I haven’t made a fool out of myself.”

Jemma is such a different person out of her office, Skye realises. She likes this version, too, and she knows this version a little already, because she’s been scooped up in her office with her like this, away from the rest of the people there. Jemma is more vulnerable like this. There’s more emotion on her face, less stress. Inside Simmons Inc. she’s tougher, more business less frolicking around. She breathes confidence and authority and those all those things started to soften down right here in front of Skye and it made her insides melt.

Skye just sits there with her hand on Jemma’s hand and her eyes locked with hers. She doesn’t really know what to say, because Jemma just confessed that she has taken an interest in Skye, and not in a business kind of way.

“This is the moment where you say something, Skye.”

“I just thought you were way out of my league. I mean, I’ve kind of had a crush on you from the moment I started working here, so no… you didn’t get this wrong. I can assure you that much,” Skye says after what feels like an eternity and Jemma lets out a shaky laugh.

“Okay, that’s good then.”

“Yeah, so this kind of turned into our first unofficial, official first date then,” Skye grins and squeezes Jemma’s hand before finally letting go.

“I guess so, yes,” Jemma laughs and shakes her head, “I’ll pay. Just to get that awkwardness out of the way then. You can buy us something next time.”

______

After Jemma has indeed paid and Skye has shrugged her jacket on they step back outside into the cold.

“Winter is coming,” Skye says mysteriously and Jemma throws her head back as she laughs.

“Game of Thrones, how classy.”

“You know it?”

“Have I been living under a rock? I might be a little older than you, Skye, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.”

It’s Skye’s turn to laugh then, which she does, wholeheartedly. She reaches out to Jemma and interlaces their fingers while they stroll back to Simmons Inc.

“I have a question,” Skye asks when Jemma lets go of her hand right before they enter the building and sticks her hands in the pockets of her coat.

“Yes?” She quirks an eyebrow at her before pushing the elevator button.

“How do you want to go at it here? I mean I have the constant urge to be with you, but we’re at  _work_. And you’re the boss. And I’m just some computer girl that comes in every now and then when there’s an emergency.”

“I guess there’ll be a lot of emergencies,” Jemma grins before getting on, leaving Skye quite dumbstruck there.

“I’m not going to French kiss you in the hallway, Jem, if that’s what you’re saying,” Skye smirks before getting on and pressing the button for their floor.

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m the boss here and I can do whatever I want. It’s just that I’d like to keep it appropriate and professional at the very least, Skye.”

“Right, of course. I’m dating my boss now, which is totally cool.”

“Oh  _shut up_.” Jemma swats at her arm and Skye gasps in mock-hurt. “You’re hilarious,” Jemma mumbles sarcastically before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Skye’s cheek.

It’s then when the elevator pings at the twentieth floor and Skye is left breathless and with a raging blush.

She’d definitely enjoy coming in for work from now on. 


End file.
